Forest Guards Abandon Posts Over Unpaid Allowances and Poor Support

(Forest Guards. Photo Credit: Instablog)

Forest security guards deployed to dangerous areas in Kwara and Enugu states are abandoning their posts or threatening to leave because governments have failed to pay them, feed them properly, or give them adequate weapons to do their jobs.

The guards say they have been sent to fight terrorists and bandits in remote communities but left to fend for themselves without basic support.

In Kwara, guards assigned to several local government areas have begun leaving their deployment locations.

Some have gone without the promised food and allowances for more than three months, forcing them to ask residents for meals.

The residents, who are themselves struggling, have told the guards that the government should be feeding them, not ordinary people.

The guards say they did not join to become beggars but to protect communities, yet no one is protecting them.

The situation is similar in Enugu, where guards claim they have worked for months without any pay.

Some were initially recruited as volunteers with promises they would later be made permanent employees on the state government's payroll.

A source said some personnel have been working since November 2025 without receiving payment, and some have not been paid for more than four months.

A major concern for all the guards is the mismatch between the weapons they carry and those used by the criminals they face.

Many operate without proper firearms while confronting heavily armed terrorists and bandits.

The guards point out that they are expected to enter remote forests where conventional security forces cannot quickly reach them, putting them at extreme risk.

The complaints raise questions about President Tinubu's forest guard initiative, which the government has promoted as a key part of its plan to fight terrorism and banditry across Nigeria.

The programme has trained and deployed thousands of guards since its launch in late 2025.

Yet the experiences in Kwara and Enugu suggest that while the government has focused on training and deploying guards, it has not put proper support systems in place.

Guards in Kwara have been assigned to some of the most dangerous areas in the state.

At least 12 guards and vigilantes were k!lled during an att@ck in September 2025, and six more were k!lled in April 2026.

Despite these losses, the survivors say they remain willing to work if the government provides the basic necessities food, proper payment, and adequate weapons.

The governments in both states have not yet publicly addressed the guards' complaints.

In Enugu, attempts to reach the Forest Guards Commander were unsuccessful.

The guards say they understand the importance of their mission but that the government must do its part by keeping them alive and supporting their families.